Charles Allen Sumner (August 2, 1835 – January 31, 1903) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

from 1883 to 1885.

Early life

Born in

Great Barrington, Massachusetts Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, ...

, Sumner attended

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, but did not graduate. He subsequently studied law, but was chiefly interested in

stenography Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek ''ste ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and engaged in patent practice.

California

He moved to California in 1856 and settled in San Francisco where he reported for the legislature from 1857 to 1861. Between the legislative sessions he was engaged in the state and county courts, in law-reporting, and general editorial duties. In 1860, he was involved in political campaigning for the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. He became editor of the ''Herald and Mirror'' in 1861. His opposition to the “Shafter” land bill succeeded in defeating it.

Civil War

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

he was appointed, on November 26, 1862, to be captain and assistant quartermaster of

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army and the ...

, and served until his resignation on March 30, 1864.

Nevada

He moved to

Virginia City, Nevada Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...

, where he served as member of the

Nevada State Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the previ ...

from 1865 to 1868 and served as president ''pro tempore'' for one session.https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Publications/NVLegislators/NVLegislators.pdf During this time, he was twice an unsuccessful candidate for U.S. Representative.

Return to San Francisco

He returned to San Francisco in 1868 and became editor of the ''Herald'' where he advocated a government postal telegraph. He was appointed official note-taker of the city, and in 1875 and 1880 official reporter of the supreme court.

U.S. Representative

After an unsuccessful attempt in 1878, he was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Forty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885). There he opposed the Pacific railroads, and introduced a postal telegraph bill. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1884.

Later life

He resumed the practice of law. Trinity gave him the degree of A. M. in 1887. He died in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, on January 31, 1903, and was interred in the George H. Thomas Post plot at the Presidio.

Publications

* ''Shorthand and Reporting'' (New York, 1882) * ''Golden Gate Sketches'' (1884) * ''Travel in Southern Europe'' (1885) * ''Sumners' Poems'' (with his brother, Samuel B. Summer, 1887)

Notes

References

* * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sumner, Charles Allen 1835 births 1903 deaths People from Great Barrington, Massachusetts Nevada Unionists Nevada state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Union Army officers 19th-century American legislators Military personnel from Massachusetts